Process for resolution of racemic glutamic acid and salts thereof

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR RESOLVING DL-GLUTAMIC ACID INTO ITS OPTICAL ISOMERS WHICH COMPRISES FORMING AN AQUEOUS SALTURATED SOLUTION OF DL-GLUTAMIC ACID HAVING A PH VALUE WITHIN THE RANGES OF APPROXIMATELY 0.2 AND 2.0 AND APPROXIMATELY 4.0 AND 7.0, RESPECTIVELY, THEREBY TO OBTAIN A RELATIVELY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF DL-GLUTAMIC ACID IN SAID SATURATED SOLUTION, SUPER-SATURATING SAID SOLUTION, SEEDING SAID SUPERSATURATED SOLUTION WITH CRYSTALS OF ONE OF SAID ISOMERS TO CAUSE SAID ONE ISOMER TO CRYSTALLIZE OUT OF SAID SUPERSATURATED SOLUTION, AGITATING THE SEEDED SOLUTION TO FACILITATE THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF SAID ONE ISOMER WHILE MAINTAINING SAID SOLUTION IN SUPERSATURATED STATE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 20*C. AND 80*C., CONTROLLING THE RATE OF CRYSTALLIZATION OF SAID ONE ISOMER TO A MAXIMUM OF 7.5 PERCENT PER HOUR OF THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF DL-GLUTAMIC ACID IN THE SOLUTION, AND FILTERING THE SOLUTION TO RECOVER SAID ONE ISOMER THAT HAS BEEN CRYSTALLIZED THEREFROM FOLLOWING THE CRYSTALLIZING OF A TOTAL QUANTITY OF SAID ONE ISOMER WHICH CORRESPONDS, AT MOST, TO APPROXIMATELY 25 PERCENT OF SAID TOTAL QUANTITY OF DL-GLUTAMIC ACID IN THE SOLUTION.